Painted turtles are common pet turtles and are often offered in pairs or groups in pet shops. Also, they can live upwards of 50 years, which begs the question: Does my turtle need a companion?

Two painted turtles can live together in the same tank as long as they are not both males. Males are territorial and can get aggressive towards each other. While painted turtles can live together, they are not social creatures and don’t really need company.

Let’s dive into what you’ll need to know before keeping two painted turtles in the same habitat.

Painted Turtles Can Live Together

Turtles aren’t necessarily social creatures. In the wild, they share environments with each other and may interact with each other. For example, wild turtles need to bask somewhere and you’ll often see multiple turtles sharing the same basking spot.

However, they don’t seek out each other’s company the way dogs may seek companionship from one another. It’s more common for turtle owners to add turtle-friendly fish to their turtle’s tank than another turtle because of this.

When deciding on a pair of painted turtles to live together in captivity, it’s important to think about the painted turtle’s natural instincts.

• Females don’t have to compete with each other in the wild and, as a result, pairs of female turtles tend to do well in captivity.
• Male and female turtles do fine with each other behaviorally because there is no competition the two. However, you do risk male and female turtles mating with each other.
• Male turtles have to compete with each other to find a mate and can become territorial, so housing two male painted turtles together could be unsafe.

As you can see in the video below, some turtle keepers don’t believe that turtles enjoy living together enough to risk them fighting or being unhappy.

Some keepers feel that the larger issue is that turtle’s don’t prefer to live in a tank with more of their own species, but that turtles can get along great with another outside of their species. There are plenty of resources on Youtube or on forums that give first-hand experience to turtle tank mates.

Of course, two turtles living together would have to have the same care requirements to thrive. The safest pairing of two painted turtles will likely be two females unless you’re a responsible breeder looking to own a breeding pair.

How Big of a Tank Do Two Turtles Need

You can find a lot of information and opinions about the correct size of tank for a single adult turtle. The Pet Supply Guy Calculator, for example, shows you the size tank you should need based on the size of your turtle.

A turtle’s measurements correlate directly to tank size; every inch of your turtle’s shell equates to 10-gallons of water.

• 3.8-inch turtle needs a 38-gallon tank
• 6.8-inch turtle needs a 68-gallon tank
• 11.5-inch turtle needs a 115-gallon tank

The general rule of thumb is that if you have two turtles in one tank, you need to add another half of the single turtle’s tank requirement to house a second turtle. For example:

• Two 3.8-inch turtles would need at least 57 gallons
• Two 6.8-inch turtles would need at least 102 gallons
• Two 11.5-inch turtles would need at least 172.5 gallons

The bigger the tank that you can give your turtles, the happier and healthier they’ll be.

Filtration

A bigger tank will require a bigger filter in order to manage the waste that multiple turtles produce. Too much ammonia in a turtle tank can cause them to become ill, and two turtles produce double the waste you’re used to managing for a single turtle.

It’s smart to purchase test kits and regularly check your turtle’s water to ensure chemical levels are balanced, keeping your turtles happy and healthy.

Creature Comforts

Some other things to consider when moving two turtles into a larger tank together are the things that allow them to behave naturally and be comfortable. A larger tank will require a larger heater to keep the environment warm enough for two turtles.

Turtles require a basking spot, and you would either need to provide one large enough for two turtles at the same time or provide multiple basking spots.

If your turtles seem to be bullying each other or don’t prefer to share, you can arrange their tank in a way that gives each turtle a place to enjoy by themselves.

This would allow them to have their own space or territory and may make the transition to living with another turtle easier. Any enrichment you provide for your turtle may need to be doubled so that each turtle can participate in its fair share.

Can Turtles Living Together Be Different Ages?

Turtle owners don’t always start out with two turtles at once, which is understandable. You want to make sure you’re doing everything right before bringing home a second turtle.

Something to think about when deciding to bring another turtle home is the compatibility of the age of turtles you plan to house together.

Housing turtles of different ages or sizes together can lead to bullying. Smaller, younger turtles may be picked on by older, larger turtles. You may have an easier time introducing turtles close in age or size than introducing a baby turtle to your adult.

Typically, juvenile turtles are best housed with other juvenile turtles and adult turtles are best housed with other adult turtles. This levels the playing field and gives each turtle a fair chance to stand up for themselves.

In Conclusion

Housing two painted turtles together is definitely doable and can be a fun experience for a pet owner. It’s important to keep in mind sex, age, and tank requirements when determining turtle compatibility.

Ultimately, it’s up to your turtles to decide that they enjoy living together. Whether they live together or apart, two turtles can bring twice the enjoyment to their owners!

The post Can Two Painted Turtles Live Together? appeared first on Water World Craze.

Why does your turtle pee every time you pick it up? What’s going on down below that causes this spontaneous urination. The answer may surprise you.

Turtles urinate when they feel scared or threatened. The volume and rapid release of liquid serve as a natural defense mechanism used to startle the threat. Terrapins feel most at risk when manhandled by humans or approached by animal predators.

This article looks at what makes turtles pee on pet owners and how happiness and bonding stop this behavior. There’s also a checklist of things you can do to monitor your pet’s newfound contentment at the end of the page.

Bad Handling Makes Your Turtle Pee

You love your new pet, but the slow-moving reptile doesn’t know you’re not a threat. With a bit of know-how, you can change the relationship and end those wet episodes.

Turtles stress easily, especially young ones and those not used to being handled.

Frightened turtle peeing in Kentucky.

If you pick terrapins up too quickly from the tank or grab them from the front, they go into stress mode and start to pee. Urinating—and even defecating and hissing—is a turtle’s natural response to perceived threats.

Thus, proper handling and frequent interaction are the way to go.

How to Pick Your Turtle up the Right way

First, let your turtle know you’re there to avoid startling it. The proper way to pick your turtle up is gently from its midsection, using both hands. Get a firm grip on both sides of its shell with your fingers and thumbs.

And prepare for a little aggressive kicking as you lift the creature up. It’s good practice to handle your pet close to the ground. That way, you reduce stress levels and protect the turtle from a high fall should it escape your grip.

Remember this: Always wash your hands before and after handling your turtle. Even healthy, clean-looking turtles may have salmonella germs on their shell surface and outer skin.

How NOT to Pick Your Pet Turtle Up?

Your turtle will always pee when you pick it up until your form the correct handling habits. Its hard shell or carapace is living tissue, and that makes it sensitive.

Avoid picking small or young turtles up with one hand over the top of the dorsal section. Also, never approach your turtle from the front or pick it up by its tail or legs.

Other Factors That Make Your Turtle Pee When Being Picked Up

Even with the correct handling habits, your turtle will still pee when you pick it up if it’s in a persistent state of unease. Here are four common mistakes novice owners make that can stress pet turtles.

#1 Don’t hold back on the enclosure: Consider 10 gallons of tank space for every inch of your turtle as a general guide. It seems a lot, but your turtle is a highly active reptile that needs lots of space. Also, if it’s a baby, know what size it will eventually grow to.

You can use the table below as a basic guide based on adult males. Females turtles grow even bigger, so make sure you know the sex before choosing your tank.

#2 Keep the tank clean: These amazing creatures are incredibly dirty through a never-ending cycle of eating and excretion. So, it’s vital to keep the turtle’s environment clean, with a particular focus on water quality and temperature. Talk to your pet supplier if you need guidance on filtration and caring for the tank environment.

Turtle Tip: Remove about half the tank’s water once a week and replace it with clean water. And perform a thorough tank clean and complete water change every 1–2 months.

#3 Don’t overfeed your turtle: Your turtle will eat whenever you feed it, whether hungry or not. You might think it’s kind, but an overweight turtle is not happy. Moreover, obese turtles are also at risk of fatty liver disease (lipidosis).

#4 Don’t let your turtle loose with other house pets: Any domestic animal can go into full instinct mode given the circumstances. An overexcited house pet will stress your turtle and even see it as a delicious snack. So, if you do want to introduce them, it must be under your careful supervision.

Turtle Tip: If your turtle hides away for long periods after being near other pets, it’s stressed.

Remember, aquatic turtles pee when picked up because they’re stressed and anxious. So, make them feel as safe and as comfortable as possible.

How Petting Prevents Peeing

As your turtle gets comfortable around you, the less chance there is of it peeing when handled. Making friends with your terrapin takes time and patience.

You will find that it enjoys gentle petting once it gets used to you. The way to start bonding is with a little gentle petting on the head and neck as it eats from your other hand.

Pet your turtle on the ground, as this is where it feels most secure and comfortable.

Turtle Tip: If the turtle stops eating, moves its head, snaps, or hisses, then it’s resisting your pet. That means it’s time to STOP and try again later. A little petting done often will eventually see your turtle become receptive to interaction with you.

This video demonstrates the safest way to pet your turtle.

Better Bonds Less Pee

The more time you and your turtle spend together, the sooner you’ll bond. And once it’s relaxed in your company, it won’t feel the need to pee when you pick it up.

Turtles can become quite attached to affectionate owners. It takes a while to bond, but it will recognize your face, voice, and scent in time. You know this has happened when the turtle swims to the surface to greet you as you approach its tank.

How Happy Is Your Turtle?

A turtle that pees when you pick it up is not necessarily an unhappy pet. It’s just upset at that moment because it’s not used to it, or your approach is wrong.

The more you bond and care for your turtle, the happier it becomes. You know you’ve connected when it doesn’t pee as you pick it up. That tells you it’s now comfortable interacting. It’s also wise to spot other pointers that can tell you how your pet is doing.

Use this simple turtle checklist to monitor your cherished pet’s level of happiness.

Your Happy Turtle Checklist

• Eyes are clear with no signs of discharge
• Greets and interacts with you when you approach its tank
• Plays with toys, digs, engages in splashing behavior
• Eats enthusiastically
• Begs for treats
• Basks under the UV light
• Defecates Regularly

Remember, it’s not difficult to keep a healthy, happy turtle. All you need is knowledge, patience, commitment, and regular interaction to form that bond. And when that starts, the peeing stops.

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Any aquatic pet will need regular tank maintenance to keep its enclosure clean and keep them healthy. A turtle is no exception. However, you may find that your turtle’s tank water becomes cloudy fast. Why may that be?

Your turtle’s tank water becomes cloudy because of unbalanced water chemicals. It’s common to experience unbalanced water in new and established tanks. Unbalanced water chemicals prevent the water from cycling waste properly, causing your turtle’s tank water to become cloudy very fast.

In this article, we’ll break down what it means to have unbalanced water and how to correct this in your turtle’s enclosure. With some adjustments and determination, you should be able to keep your turtle’s water from becoming cloudy so quickly.

Why your turtle’s water becomes cloudy fast

In the wild, turtles live in a variety of environments with different water sources like muddy ponds, clear rivers, and everything in between.

Natural and healthy water sources have balanced pH or chemical levels and beneficial bacteria that break down waste from fish, turtles, etc.

This natural nitrogen cycle can be mimicked for your turtle’s tank at home, but the water will become cloudy fast while those chemicals and bacteria are unbalanced. 

The nitrogen cycle for your turtle’s tank looks like your turtle eating food and passing waste that causes ammonia. Ammonia turns into nitrites and nitrites into nitrates.

All of these beneficial bacteria will help to keep the water clean and safe for your turtle if they are properly balanced.

However, achieving a well-cycled tank can take time. Even seasoned turtle owners can experience their tank’s water becoming unbalanced which presents itself as cloudy, smelly water. 

What else causes tank water to become cloudy and unbalanced?

Turtle waste isn’t the only thing that causes tank water to become cloudy and unbalanced, but it is the most obvious. Other causes of cloudy tank water are:

Clogged or improper filtration

A good filtration system is very important for any aquatic pet. You want to keep your filter and all its parts clean and clog-free, but it is also important to not disrupt the beneficial bacteria that your filter is helping to grow.

One way to make sure you don’t set yourself back is by rinsing your filter’s media in your tank’s water or in dechlorinated water rather than tap water. Rinsing the media in tap water would kill off the beneficial bacteria that the filter media is fostering.

Overfeeding

If your turtle isn’t finishing their food, it’ll start to break down and create extra waste that your tank’s filter and beneficial bacteria will have to work harder to break down.

By not feeding your turtle more than it can finish, you can avoid this extra waste and keep the tank water cleaner. If your turtle hasn’t finished its meal and has no interest in extra food, you can remove it from the tank and offer more food another time. 

Aquarium Landscaping

It’s important to pay attention to the overall health of your tank and what you’ve chosen to design it with. Quality substrate, live plants, logs, etc. can all be very beneficial to a tank when managed well.

However, if plants are dying or any organic material is breaking down then you will have additional bacteria and waste in your tank water that could make it cloudy.

Removing decaying organic materials like unhealthy plants will help to keep your turtle’s water cleaner.

How to balance your turtle’s water chemicals

First, you’ll want to test your tank’s water to see what the chemical levels are. This will help you to understand the balance of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in the water that are ultimately causing cloudiness.

Test kits range from

• simple (this one)
• to more involved (this one)

depending on your needs, but you should be able to use the directions to determine what needs to be adjusted in your tank’s water.

• pH level of the water should fall between 6-8

• chlorine level should be 0

• ammonia level should be 0

• nitrite level of 0.5 or less

• nitrate level of 40 or less

Once you know your chemical levels, you can determine what types of water conditioners you need to use to adjust these levels, whether that be a

It can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks to see the chemical levels balance exactly as they should, depending on how much water your turtle has.

You may have to do some partial water changes during this process, but you don’t want to get rid of too many beneficial bacteria at once. Patience is key.

Other ways to balance your turtle’s water 

Add a filter

In addition to using water conditioners to make these adjustments, you can add a quality filtration system to your turtle’s tank that will help cycle the water and grow beneficial bacteria.

Dr. James Liu, VMD, writes in-depth about water checks and proper tank filtration for turtles.

Add an ultraviolet sterilizer

UV sterilizers are great for preventing algae growth and cloudy water from occurring after you’ve balanced your turtle’s water.

Some filtration systems have built-in UV sterilizers for this very reason, but if yours doesn’t you may consider adding one or upgrading to a filter that has one built-in. 

Add an aerator or air stone

While turtles do not have to have oxygenated water the same way that fish do, you can add an aerator or air stone to your turtle’s tank to provide extra enrichment and encourage the water’s bacteria and chemicals to balance. 

Turtle health and tank cleanliness

A quality diet can make all the difference in your ability to mimic the nitrogen cycle in your own turtle’s tank. If your turtle is eating poor-quality food, it will be more difficult for the beneficial bacteria to break down the waste your turtle produces.

You want to do your research and consult with a trusted veterinarian to make the best decisions about your turtle species’ diet. 

Your turtle will ultimately have a cleaner, more balanced tank to enjoy and this proactive care will help to prevent costly vet trips. The healthier your turtle, the healthier your tank, and vice versa. 

The post Why Your Turtle’s Water Turns Cloudy Fast appeared first on Water World Craze.

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Aquatic turtles live in lakes and ponds with thick vegetation, growing on substrates, like sand, small stones, and large rocks. Rocks can create a rich aesthetic experience in your turtle tank. However, do turtles need a rock to sit on?

Turtles use large rocks for basking in the light. Stones in the water also give them spaces to hide, rest from swimming, or find amusement. Some turtles might even snack on the rocks in the turtle tank if they are craving minerals.

There are some details that you need to keep in mind when choosing a rock for your pet’s tank. Read this article to find out why turtles need rocks in their habitat. We will review the different choices of basking areas and rocks, and what you need to watch out for.

Why do turtles need rocks?

Rocks are not only a beautiful decoration for your turtle tank. They can also prove beneficial for your pet and make its habitat more natural.

Basking

Aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles spend a lot of time in the water and love taking long sunbaths, also known as basking.

Absorbing the UV-rays helps turtles regulate their body temperature by controlling blood flow in their skin and fins. Since they usually do that on a surface outside the water, rocks are great spots for a relaxing sunbath.

Resting

You can also put large rocks or smooth river stones in the tank as a substrate. That will create an area for your pet to hide or go up and down in the tank. In addition, your turtle will have a place to rest in its home.

Of course, rocks will also make your turtle’s habitat look more natural and aesthetic.

Amusement

You might see your pet playing with the rocks or digging around them. Such behavior might be caused by boredom. To solve this problem, you could increase your turtle tank’s size and complexity.

If you add more plants, rocks, and basking sites, your turtle will always have more activities in its home.

Snacking on rocks

Turtles also love snacking on stones because they crave minerals such as calcium and iron. So seeing your turtle eating rocks might help you indicate nutrition deficiency.

However, small stones can block a turtle’s digestive tract and might lead to death. To avoid that, consider the size of your pet and choose rocks larger than its head. Large smooth stones are a good choice in such cases because your pet won’t be able to bite a piece of the stone.

Do all turtle species need a rock inside their tank?

Most basking turtles like the red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) and the painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), do not require any substrate. They can live in a tank with a bare floor and will feel comfortable.

Keeping the tank bottom free of rocks will give the turtle more swimming space. Although rocks can be a great resting place for the turtle, it will certainly not die of exhaustion.

However, you need to create a proper above-tank basking platform for the turtle to go out of the water and dry. If unable to bask, your turtle won’t produce vitamin D3, and it won’t be able to absorb calcium. That could eventually lead to Metabolic Bone Disease.

Adding rocks to your pet’s tank will also increase the complexity of their habitat. As a result, the turtles will have more activities and places to hide.

What rocks are a good choice for your turtle tank?

If you want to put a substrate in your turtle tank, you can create a gradient of pebbles of different sizes. You can also add large smooth river stones and lava rocks.

That will give your turtle spaces to hide and have its privacy. With the river stones, you can build a small hiding cave for your turtle. Make sure you use large smooth rocks that can stand stable on top of each other.

Lava rocks, on the other hand, can improve water quality. Their porous surface allows beneficial bacteria to colonize it and act as water filters.

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So, you have an unfriendly pet turtle that’s skittish in the tank and nervous in your presence. What’s going on, and what can you do to calm your reptile down?

Restless turtles that just moved into a new tank need time to get used to their new environment. Turtles that are naturally skittish and restless can be calmed down by:

• Using a mobile tank
• Implementing a food routine
• Petting and handling the turtle correctly
• Providing the correct diet, tank setup

This article looks at what makes your turtle restless and nervous and how to resolve it. You’ll learn which behaviors are normal and those that need attention. There’s a Care Chart you can use as a reminder to ensure your precious pet stays happy and calm.

Proven Tips for Calming a Restless Turtle

Know that turtles are shy creatures, always afraid of the unknown. Their skittish behavior is a natural defense response to help keep them safe in the wild.

But your turtle will become less shy and much calmer once you form that critical bond. And to achieve that, you must get to know your pet, its behaviors, and satisfy its needs.

Eventually, your turtle should race to the surface and splash around as you approach its tank, expecting a treat. That’s when you know it’s finally come out of its shell and figured out how to get your attention. In other words, it’s happy to see you and calm in your company.

Now let’s look at how you get to that point.

Use a Mobile Tank AKA Plastic Food Container

Take a plastic food container or similar and add some tank—not tap—water. This is to be your turtle’s temporary mobile home for short durations.

The idea is to have the pet next to you whatever you’re doing, so it gets comfortable being around you. It will learn to recognize your voice and scent and feel safe and relaxed in your presence.

Spend time observing your turtle, so you get to know what’s normal behavior. Be gentle while carrying it in the tub, and avoid raising your voice or making sudden moves.

Turtle Tip: Feeding your turtle in the mobile container keeps a lot of the mess out of the main tank, so the water stays cleaner for longer.

Build Trust with a Food Routine

Give your turtle food at the same times to get it used to a routine. Watch as it eats in the tank, but don’t try to feed it yourself just yet. Instead, wave your hand slowly over the tank as it consumes.

Your pet will eventually associate your physical presence with food. Over time, it will no longer see you as a threat and become calmer as a result.

Strengthen Bonds by Petting Your Turtle

The final step to calming your pet turtle is to strengthen the bond with physical contact. The way to do this is to lightly pet the cute creature on the head and neck while it eats.

Only attempt to feed your turtle by hand once it’s calmed down in your presence. Start by holding a piece of leafy green about six inches away. Again, avoid sudden moves and exercise patience.

If vegetation doesn’t work, have another go using live food instead. If nothing happens, move away slowly, and try again tomorrow.

These final sections are about maintaining that bond between you and your beloved turtle. A happy pet is not skittish; it’s calm because it’s well cared for. And that includes its habitat as much as regular feeding and human interaction.

Instinctual Signs of a Healthy, Happy, and Calm Turtle

One thing that surprises new turtle owners is how fast they are in the water. The signs below suggest your pet is healthy and happy and shouldn’t be cause for concern.

• Splashing behavior when you enter the room
• Hunting and chasing live food
• Digging in the gravel, exploring the environment
• Playing (interacting) with toys like empty conch shells and ping-pong balls

But there’s a difference between being energetic and hyperactive. If your turtle starts to swim frantically back and forth with no obvious purpose, something’s not right.

Accept What You Cannot Change in Your Turtle

It’s possible to tame most aquatic turtles and form lifelong bonds. Even so, some species never get used to humans handling them. Mud turtles, Eastern Box turtles, and Razorback Musk turtles are three terrapins that don’t appreciate people picking them up.

The calmest, most friendly turtles for beginners are Red-eared Sliders and Painted.

What Unsettles Your Turtle? Problems & Solutions

Domesticated turtles need attention if you’re to care for them properly. And that means knowing what your pet requires to thrive and live a long, happy life. Any slip—even a minor one—can upset or scare your terrapin, making it restless and hyper.

Changes to the environment, diet, and temperature can all cause stress and restless behavior. Turtles also swim frantically if afraid, threatened, or gravid (pregnant).

Here are 6 things that can stress your turtle and change its behavior if ignored.

1. Be observant, know what to look for
2. Handle with care
3. Get to grips with turtle husbandry
4. Keep the toilet clean
5. Why temperatures matter
6. The importance of nutrition

Let’s go over these problems and their solutions in more detail.

#1 Know What to Look for in Your Turtle, Be Observant

To be an adept turtle keeper is to develop a sharp sense of observation. Exercise patience and persistence until you form a close bond with your reptile.

The more you get to know it, the faster you’ll recognize abnormal behaviors. You’ll also get to know what kinds of things stress or scare your pet so that you can avoid them.

#2 Manhandling Stresses Turtles

Most turtles—even friendly ones—don’t like being picked up and suspended midair. Sometimes, though, you must remove them from the tank to clean it or for exercise.

The solution: Pick your pet up with care and grip it from the midsection using both hands. Expect some kicking and peeing so you’re not caught off guard and lose grip.

Safety Tip: Turtles can carry salmonella germs on their outer skin and shell. Never forget to give your hands a good wash after handling your pet.

#3 Get a Grasp on Turtle Husbandry

Your turtle has precise dietary and environmental needs. Any mistakes in this area may result in an unhappy, overly skittish reptile.

The Solution: Practice proper husbandry to give your reptile a safe, secure, and comfortable space to live. The environment must be exact and well-maintained. If in doubt, consult an expert for guidance.

The Male Turtle Care Chart

Use the Adult Male Turtle Care Chart below as a starting point (data may change for some females).

If your turtle species is not in the table, add an extra row, and fill in the blanks.

Turtle Tip: Remember to buy a tank that will accommodate the young turtle’s full-grown size. Also, know the difference in size between the male and female adults of your chosen species.

#4 Keep the Turtle Toilet Clean

It’s true; your turtle is a messy creature, and its home is also its toilet. That means the water gets dirty fast. Your cute terrapin swims, defecates, and urinates (poops and pees), eats and drinks in the same water. And once it’s cloudy and smelly, it becomes unhealthy, and that can stress your pet.

The solution: Aim to keep the toilet bowl/tank/habitat clean.

Turtle Water Hygiene 101 | Know the Basics

• The tank must be big enough for the turtle (see chart above)
• Change the water regularly
• Use a quality turtle tank filter
• Clean up any food leftovers after feeding
• Vacuum often with a proper aquarium cleaner
• Keep an eye on chemical levels
• Aerate the water to discourage anaerobic bacteria growth

Note that you’ll have to change the water more often if your tank doesn’t have a filter.

Tank Tip: Replace 50% of the tank’s water once a week with clean water and a complete water change and tank clean every one or two months.

More on Water Hygiene

There are other optional ways to help keep the water in your turtle tank cleaner. For example, working fish like Otos and Plecs eat algae and scavenge the bottom of the tank for leftovers.

Likewise, water plants consume nitrates and various other pollutants. You can also introduce friendly live nitrifying bacteria into your tank.

#5 Turtle Temperatures

You won’t need to calm down a cold turtle as they become sluggish. But if there’s an escape route, it may frantically try to break out if the temperature’s too low.

The solution: Never bring the tank’s temperature down to calm your turtle.

#6 Turtle Nutrition Matters More than You Think

Most turtles, though not all, are omnivores, meaning they eat animals and plants. They’re not fussy eaters, but they do need a balanced diet. Poor nutrition, overeating, or adjustments to diet can all cause stress and changes in behavior.

The solution: Feed your pet a proper diet for the species at set times to develop a calming routine.

This video summarizes the main points on how to keep your turtle safe and happy

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As devoted pet owners, we love our turtles and want to enjoy handling them. But of course, we hope that our pets feel comfortable and safe when we spend time together. So, do Red-Eared Sliders like to be held? 

Red-Eared Sliders are not affectionate and do not enjoy being held. Handling excessively or with poor technique can cause chronic stress, which may lead to ill health. However, with a patient approach to relationship building, you can condition your Red-Eared Slider to tolerate handling well. 

Unfortunately, the short answer is that Red-Eared Sliders do not like to be handled. However, there are ways in which we can change their response to handling, as well as form a closer bond with our turtles.

Read on to discover more about how your turtle views their world and the experience of handling. Learn how you may be able to train them to accept and enjoy being held. 

Why Don’t Red-Eared Sliders Enjoy Being Held?

Red-Eared Sliders and other exotic pets are distinctly different from traditionally domestic animals such as domesticated dogs and horses. Domesticated animals have been selectively bred over countless generations to successfully live and interact with humans.

This means that it takes very little training in order to make them comfortable with humans and enjoy petting. Red-Eared Sliders on the other hand are much more genetically similar to their wild counterparts and don’t have any innate (born) ability to understand or build relationships with humans. 

Furthermore, unlike dogs and horses, which are extremely social pack animals, Red-Eared Sliders are solitary animals. This means that they do not feel any drive to create bonds with the other creatures in their world. 

As a result, they don’t have a desire to be affectionate. Affection is a social tool that we humans (and other social creatures) use to express a connection with the people and animals we care about. Red-Eared Sliders simply don’t understand your need to touch and hold. 

For turtles, touching and holding other animals is necessary for mating and predation. In other words, they almost certainly think that the reason you are grabbing them is that you would like to eat them.

They are very unlikely to think you are touching them for the purpose of mating because the mating behavior is preceded by complex behavioral and chemical signals (that you can’t give!).

Prepare to Handle Your Red-Eared Slider

Of course, even if you decide not to pet your Red-Eared Slider, there will be times that it is necessary to pick up and hold your turtle. For example, you will need to carry out health checks, move them in order to maintain their habitat and to transport them to the vet. 

In these cases, it is best to be well prepared for handling and to understand the best practices for holding them safely. 

Before reaching to pick up your turtle, consider the reason you are doing so. If you need to transport the animal, have the carrier and tools prepared ready.

If you need to inspect their body for a health check, prepare a safe area in which to do so, including clear, clean surfaces and towels. 

Being ready for challenging handling will increase the likelihood that you can deal with any scenario, and the handling will almost certainly go smoothly. Always remember to wash your hands before and after!

How To Hold Your Red-Eared Slider

It will be easier to initiate handling if your turtle is spending time out of the water, sunning themselves under a heat lamp.

This is because they will be relaxed, easier to pick up, and also drier. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible, and you may have to collect them from the water. 

It is very important to be aware that the body of the aquatic turtle is going to be very slippery.

Their legs are also surprisingly long and powerful, and even a well-adjusted turtle is likely to try to kick its way forward out of your hands when you pick them up. It is extremely easy to drop them at this moment, so be prepared. 

1. Do not sneak up on your turtle. Remember, you are trying to build a relationship based on trust with your pet, not trickery. Approach where they can see you, but pick them up from above and behind, facing away from you. This is because they may bite at your hands if you place them near to the head. 

1. Use both of your hands to provide support from both sides, reaching underneath the turtle. Don’t be tempted to squeeze the shell tightly, as they can feel even your finger placement on their sensitive shell surface. Use firm but gentle pressure only. 

1. Instead, provide security and prevent them from slipping away by spreading your fingers before and after their front limbs and around their belly, to prevent them from slipping forward. If your hands are big enough, place your little fingers behind the rear legs also. Fingers reach under the shell, thumbs on top. Fingers should never reach in between the top and bottom shells when lifting your Red-Eared Slider. 

1. Minimize the time that the turtle is lifted into the air. Bring the turtle gently down to rest on a surface, such as a clean table, spread-out towel, or you can even sit down and use your lap. Do not release them at this point. Use your hand to provide a safety net against them escaping and potentially falling. 

What Not To Do When Handling Your Turtle

• Don’t be casual or blasé when handling your turtle. Use both hands and focus on the task. 
• Don’t gesture with your hands when holding the turtle. Waving the turtle around is dangerous. 
• When checking their belly, tip them as little as possible from the upright position.
  • Always try to tip front-to-back, not side to side if possible. 
  • Never completely twist them in a loop, as this can cause torsion of the intestines. Tip one way, then tip back the same way. 
  • Ask for help so that someone else can thoroughly check the belly and limbs whilst you hold. 
• Don’t move your turtle quickly or suddenly.
• Don’t pick them up from the tail. This handling method is a total myth and can cause bone dislocation. 
• Never throw the turtle back into the water or onto a surface. Place them down gently and safely. 

Getting Your Red-Eared Slider To Enjoy Handling

Turtles, like all other animals, have the ability to learn. If they didn’t, they would not be able to distinguish safety from danger and would not survive as a species.

This means that you can train them, to a certain extent, in the same way that you would train any other animal. It simply takes a little more patience. 

To increase your turtle’s tolerance to handling, you need to help your turtle associate handling time with good experiences.

You will use a technique called operant conditioning, whereby you deliver positive reinforcement (such as delicious food) immediately following a behavior that you want to increase, (such as calmly accepting petting). 

Equally, you need to prevent the bad experiences your turtle has from being connected to you or the time spent being handled by you.

For example, if you notice that your turtle tends to hide away in its enclosure when there are bright lights or music in the room, ensure that you never have these punishing stimuli present when you try to bond with your turtle. 

Over time, you can increase your expectations of your turtle to accept handling. These small steps are called Successive Approximations.

If applied with patience and good planning, this technique will actively desensitize your Red-Eared Slider to handling and may even cause it to associate petting with positive experiences. This is a tried and tested way to build a bond between you and your pet. 

Step-By-Step: How To Train Your Red-Eared Slider To Accept Handling

1. Use The Right Treats

Identify extremely high-value treats that you can use to reward your Red-Eared Slider during training. 

• A good idea might be prawns, which are like candy to Sliders. 
• Observe your turtle’s eating habits to identify their favorite treats.
• Don’t offer these treats outside of training time.

2. Be responsive to the signals your turtle gives you.

If they stop eating in general, you may be handling them too much. Leave more time between sessions and dial back your expectations of them at this stage. 

Judge successful sessions by your pet’s behavior. Trying to bite you, escape, or struggle is not a successful touch!

3. Start small and have low expectations. 

At first, you don’t want to attempt something big like stroking your Slider on your lap for ten minutes! This will almost certainly fail and may cause stress. 

Begin with a simple behavior such as tolerating your hand nearby inside the habitat. 

4. Rewards at the right time

Be ready to deliver the reward as soon as you see a behavior that you like, such as approaching your hand. Reward quickly, even if it seems like your turtle approached by accident!

Don’t give a big reward all at once. Break the treat into small bitesize pieces that can be eaten quickly.

5. Have patience.

Don’t expect your turtle to quickly understand the concept of “touch hand = get a treat”. 

What is very obvious to clever humans will take time for the turtle to associate.

Even if progress is made during one session, understand that the turtle is likely to regress and do worse at the beginning of the next session. Lower your expectations from the end of one session to the beginning of the next.

Plan out your Successive Approximations.

What do you want to achieve eventually?

What steps can you take to get there?

For example:

Example Steps To Train Your Turtle (Successive Approximations)

1. Turtle doesn’t run away from hand in habitat
2. Turtle approaches hand in habitat
3. Turtle makes contact with hand in habitat for a brief moment
4. Turtle increases time in contact with hand in habitat
5. Turtle allows hand to smooth shell in habitat
6. Turtle allows hand to hold body momentarily in habitat
7. Turtle allows hand to hold body for longer periods in habitat
8. Turtle allows hand to lift it a little without struggle in habitat
9. Turtle allows hand to lift it for longer/higher without struggle
10. Turtle doesn’t struggle when lifted out of the habitat for a short moment
11. Turtle doesn’t struggle when lifted out of the habitat and placed on a surface (as detailed above) for a short moment
12. Turtle doesn’t struggle when lifted out of the habitat and held on a surface (as detailed above) for increasing periods of time
13. Turtle accepts touches when held on a surface without struggling or opening mouth toward hand
14. Turtle responds to touches in a positive way such as “dancing” when the shell is massaged with fingers or a soft toothbrush

That last step is the Holy Grail of turtle ownership! Whilst tortoises are more likely to show these behaviors, you may be lucky enough to reach this point with your Red-Eared Slider as their confidence in you increases.

Bear in mind though that every animal is different, and some Red-Eared Sliders may never progress through all the approximations. 

This Slider is dancing in response to being massaged with a toothbrush! (Careful, loud music!)
Credit: YouTube Creator Gameboyz619

Trouble Shooting Red-Eared Slider Handling Problems

Sounds simple right? 

Well, kind of. The best-made plans will still encounter some hiccups, but with a positive attitude and caring outlook, you can overcome them on your journey to bond with your Red-Eared Slider. 

Some key problems and resolutions include:

Your turtle won’t eat the treats

If your turtle is not accepting treats during the training, it may be too stressed to consider food. Even if everything else seems to be going well, consider dialing back your expectations and your steps until this problem resolves itself. 

• Check for other causes of stress in the environment
• Monitor whether your turtle is eating well in general
• Question whether your turtle finds the particular treats highly reinforcing or not

Incorporate “accepting food from hand” into your training plan at the very beginning and plan out steps to reach this goal. 

Your turtle does well in the sessions, but then suddenly everything goes wrong

Your training sessions are too long! Sessions only need to be as long as it takes to either make a positive step or identify that the session is unsuccessful. This might be less than a minute!

If you get a positive outcome, reward and STOP THERE! Do not keep pushing forward in your excitement and ruin your progress.

If your turtle is not interacting at all, step back (without rewarding). Come back later with a fresh head and different scenario and try again. Don’t keep pushing forward and building frustration.

Your turtle did super-well in a session and you didn’t know what to do

This can be solved by pre-planning your goals as above. If your turtle makes sudden progress, you will be able to keep one step ahead and not lose the opportunity to positively reinforce. 

Have enough treats ready to offer what is called a magnitude. Give a big WOW of a treat and end the session very positively. 

It is taking too long

Unfortunately, this comes down to patience and adherence to the technique. Remember, you are training a very unnatural behavior with an animal that is slow to learn.

Relationship building takes time. Any progress at all that you make is very worthwhile indeed and you should be proud. 

How Much Should You Handle Your Red-Eared Slider?

Unfortunately, there is no hard-and-fast rule that is agreed upon by turtle experts or pet owners. Some people believe that Red-Eared Sliders shouldn’t be handled for any reason other than healthcare.

Others feel that their turtles enjoy the enriching experience of exploring outside their enclosure. The right answer is somewhat subjective.

However, if you follow two key considerations, you should be able to identify the limitations for you and your turtle. 

1. Listen to what your turtle is telling you

If you are following the steps above, then you will be in tune with your turtle and responsive to its behavior.

You will be aware of the difference between a good handling session in which it is calm, and a poor handling session in which the turtle is struggling to get away or trying to bite. These signals are the turtle telling you to end your handling session!

Pay close attention to the turtle’s general behavior and health too. Be aware of variables in the turtle’s environment, such as temperature, light, and diet changes.

If nothing has changed except that you increased handling time, and your turtle stops eating, this is concerning. You may well be handling too much.  

2. Be aware of the Red-Eared Slider’s environment

This consideration is dependant on where in the world you live. Providing adequate housing for a Red-Eared Slider is complex and expensive.

You work hard to maintain the enclosure and ensure that your turtle is healthy. You keep the humidity, temperature, light, and water quality carefully controlled.

Be aware then, of the danger of removing your turtle from this ideal habitat. The greatest danger lies in exposing the turtle to sudden changes such as a sharp drop in temperature.

Therefore, if you live in a cold country, and it’s winter, then it may not be appropriate to remove your Slider from under its heat lamp for petting. 

However, if you live in a climate similar to the natural habitat of the Red-Eared Slider, you will have greater freedom to handle your turtle outside of its enclosure.

Still, a good rule of thumb would be to keep the handling sessions short and positive for your turtle. More than 30 minutes could be pushing it. 

If You Want To Handle and Pet Your Red-Eared Slider

In conclusion, a Red-Eared Slider does not naturally have any desire to be affectionate with you or be handled.

You may decide that as an exotic pet owner, you accept these limitations to your relationship and only handle the Slider when absolutely necessary. This is a perfectly reasonable and mature approach to exotic pet ownership. 

If, however, you would like a pet that tolerates or enjoys handling you may be willing to put in the time and effort it takes to build a bond of trust with your turtle by following the steps outlined above.

Do consider though, that if you truly want a pet that you can touch and handle frequently, then the Red-Eared Slider is not the best pet for you. 

Think about what you want from pet ownership and choose an animal that would enjoy the same things. If you’re set on owning a turtle, consider a tortoise instead.

A tortoise is easier to care for, will enjoy roaming around your home, and is generally easier to train to tolerate and enjoy petting.  

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Aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles are a popular choice of pet. At the same time, there are many different aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles that you can keep as pets. However, when looking at owning a turtle as a pet, I was unsure if all turtle species would be able to learn to trust me or even develop a bond with me.

There are a few different methods you can use to get your turtle to trust you, and in this article, I will be going through some of the best practices you can use to get your turtle to trust you and what species of turtles are the best to keep if you want your turtle to trust you.

Turtles are shy by nature -which can lead to a lot of frustrating behavior every time you enter the room or space you keep your turtle.

Building a friendship with your turtle is key to gaining its trust. You can use the methods below as a guideline to help develop and maintain your turtle’s trust.

5 Methods you can use to get your turtle to trust you

Regular Observation

Regular observation or socialization is paramount to gaining your turtle’s trust. To your turtle, you are big and scary, which can cause quite a bit of stress.

The first step is to notice where your turtle is most comfortable in his cage. What sounds and motions scare him? When is he the most active at what time during the day or night?

Unfortunately, most loud sounds and fast movements can scare your turtle. To combat this, it is a good idea to stand close to your turtle’s cage and make slow movements while watching your turtle.

By doing this, your turtle will get used to your presence while you make your observations about his behavioral patterns.

Build a safe zone for your turtle

When setting up your turtle’s tank, it is essential to create a safe zone for your turtle to hide when he feels threatened or scared.

You can use any turtle hides or half-logs to create this safe zone. Safe zones help create a comfort zone for your turtle, which will help reduce the amount of stress your turtle experiences during the initial observation periods and feeding times.

The hiding zone is a calming space – By not entering the zone you can show your turtle you are not a threat and build trust at a faster rate.

When you feed or interact with your turtle, it is crucial never to enter his safe zone; by doing this, you will show your turtle that you pose no threat to them, which will help to build trust with your turtle.

Food Association or Food training

Food association, or rather food training, is an excellent way to help you and your turtle build trust and get used to each other.

Eastern Box Turtle

Building a routine is another critical factor in getting your turtle to trust you, and the perfect tool to use to create a routine is food. Try to feed your turtle at the same time every day; this will allow you and your turtle some quality time with each other as you watch him eat.

Eventually, you will want to get your turtle to eat from your hand. To do this is not difficult, but it will take a lot of time to build your turtle’s trust in you slowly.

Start by placing your turtle’s food in his cage and then either sit or stand next to the cage; while your turtle is eating, make a few slow movements with your body.

Over time, your turtle will get used to your presence during feeding time and learn not to be afraid of you when it comes to eating from your hand.

Crickets, bloodworms, shrimp, mealworms and aquatic snails are excellent live food choices for your turtle. They help to encourage hand feeding and help distract you turtle from your presence

Once your turtle is used to eating around you, you can slowly start feeding him by hand. At this stage, you should know what his favorite food item is, and that food item will be the perfect way to get him to eat from your hand.

Take your turtle’s favorite food item and place it roughly 15cm or 6inches away from your turtle’s mouth. It is essential to be patient as it could take some time for your turtle to eat from your hand.

If you are using lettuce or vegetables, you can switch over to live food, which can help encourage him to eat from you.

Pet Your Turtle

When your turtle is used to your presence and eating out of your hand, it is an excellent time to develop trust through touch.

Many turtles enjoy the attention from physical touch, and petting them will help you develop a stronger bond with your turtle.

The best time to start introducing your turtle to physical touch is when he is eating. It is important to note that your turtle will only accept touch when comfortable eating out of your hand.

Petting your turtle regularly will help reduce shyness around humans and help establish a positive relationship with you.

Start by feeding your turtle and while he is eating, gently pet the back of his neck and head; if his head retracts and he stops eating, stop touching him and continue to work on him being comfortable with hand feeding.

When your turtle is comfortable around you, and you can touch him on his neck and head during feeding, you can begin to pick him up.

There are a few ways to hold your turtle, and below is an excellent video on how to pick up and hold your turtle properly.

Minimize your interactions

Some species of turtles, such as the Eastern Box Turtles, are shy by nature. To gain these turtle’s, make sure you keep your interactions are gentle and minimal; if your turtle is hiding or resting, do not harass him, instead wait until he comes out for feeding.

How long will it take for your turtle to trust you?

A few factors will affect the amount of time it will take your turtle to trust you. The amount of time you spend getting your turtle used to you is one factor, and if you use the steps above and be patient with your turtle, you should be able to gain its trust in no time at all.

There are a few factors which will affect how long it takes to gain your turtle’s trust – The amount of time you spend with your turtle and the species of turtle your turtle belongs to.

Turtle Species That Are Known For Bonding And Gaining Trust Easily

It is essential to know what species of turtle enjoys affection and human interaction; are willing to trust you more, and which species of turtles don’t want too much interaction.

Below is a table of the ten best species of turtles to own;

Getting your turtle to trust you takes a lot of patience, time, and effort, and while some species of turtles will trust you quicker than others, each turtle is unique and has its own set of individual quirks and challenges.

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Wild turtles are mainly carnivorous, feeding on worms, small insects, snails, and fish. In comparison, pet turtles have developed a different, more broad preference for food than wild turtles due to domestication. As a result, they are omnivorous, enjoying both meat and plants as a meal. However, can and should pet turtles eat bread?

Turtles can but shouldn’t eat bread. Their digestive system is different from ours. Wild or domesticated, turtles lack important enzymes for the digestion of sugars, flour, yeast, and dairy products. Eating bread can lead to an unhealthy diet and malnutrition.

Why can’t turtles digest bread but eat it regardless? Are there kinds of bread that your turtle can digest better? Are there any turtle species that can digest bread better than others? This article answers these questions in detail.

Why shouldn’t turtles eat bread?

Incomplete digestion of sugars

Turtles can consume bread occasionally. However, it will not provide any nutrition and will only be a problem for their digestive tract. When you, Homo sapiens, bite a piece of bread, its digestion starts in the mouth.

The enzyme amylase from the saliva breaks down the carbohydrates into smaller chemical compounds. The digestion of bread ends in the small intestine.

In comparison, the turtle’s mouth does not produce saliva and therefore lacks the enzyme amylase. Scientists have detected amylase activity only in the pancreatic tissue of aquatic turtles.

What does that mean?

Your pet turtle can only partially digest bread and can’t use its nutritional values. If your pet has an unhealthy diet, a lack of vitamins, proteins, and minerals such as calcium and phosphorous might lead to Metabolic Bone disease and other serious conditions.

The Yeast problem

Turtles have a hard time keeping their blood sugar levels in balance. That’s why you should avoid feeding your pet with carbohydrates. However, you have probably heard that yeast helps with the digestion of sugars in the human gut.

It can also deliver some proteins, vitamins, and minerals to the body. Then why can’t your turtle benefit from the cool powers of yeast as well?

The answer to this question is simple: because they haven’t spent 5000 years drinking beer and 15,000 years eating bread! Humans, however, have gathered some microscopic helpers to assist them with the digestion of yeast through the ages.

Bread and brewer’s yeast have an almost unbreakable cell wall. Even heating the dough can’t make it disappear. The bacteria Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron have settled in the human gut to snack on some complex carbohydrates from the yeast’s cell wall.

Unfortunately, these common gut bacteria haven’t yet found a new habitat in a turtle’s stomach. That’s why bread, and especially yeast, can’t be digested by your turtle.

Southern Painted Turtle

What happens if your turtle can’t digest bread?

Bread and other processed foods contain a lot of sugars and flour that turtles can’t break down. Although the digestive systems of turtles and humans are quite different, indigestion causes similar side effects.

If any food can’t be broken down and absorbed in the stomach, it gets fermented by gut bacteria. This process causes bloating and discomfort. As a result, your turtle will release more gas or better said – fart more.

Our tip: An excessive bloating and farting are a sign of unhealthy diet, mostly leading to vitamin A and calcium deficiency. Other symptoms of deficiencies due to poor diet are swollen eyelids that you can easily spot. Change the diet of your pet if you notice any of these signs.

Why do turtles eat bread anyways?

Domesticated turtles eat everything you feed them because they don’t live in the wild and don’t need to hunt every day. Besides, turtles are opportunistic feeders and eat a wide variety of prey.

They can adapt to whatever food becomes available. As a result, they would love to munch on some breadcrumbs or crackers even if they can’t digest them. Turtles see bread as an easy snack that they will happily take advantage of.

Additionally, they can’t realize which foods make them feel good and which ones are unhealthy. Therefore, you should make sure that you never feed wild or pet turtles any bread or unhealthy snacks.

Are there breads that turtles can digest better?

Since bread is a man-made product, turtles are not adapted to digesting it and getting any nutritional value out of it. Bread, milk, and any other dairy products are mostly a part of the mammal’s diet.

However, the unhealthiest ingredients for turtles in bread are sugars and flour. White bread, for instance, is made from highly processed white flour and added sugar. Whole wheat bread, however, has the lowest levels of sugar and could cause less harm to your pet.

Your turtle might also better digest bread that doesn’t contain yeast, such as soda bread. Nevertheless, don’t consider giving your turtle any bread as a snack. It will not provide any health benefits, and it might lead to bloating.

Are there turtle species that can digest bread better?

There are many videos of Red-eared slider turtles in parks getting fed by visitors and feasting on bread. However, it’s a myth that this turtle species can digest bread better than others.

Crackers and bread are certainly not part of its diet. Like other turtles, Red-eared sliders are opportunistic feeders. They eat everything available in their habitat.

The only way for any turtle species to digest bread would be a mutation in their gut which would activate some enzymes. However, there is no such evidence in recent scientific works.

So, next time you see someone feeding bread to turtles in the park, stop them and explain why they are harming the animals.

Yellow-bellied slider

Can bread kill turtles?

If you have already fed your turtle some bread, you probably wonder if that could be fatal.

A small amount of bread can’t kill your turtle. However, if you implement bread in its long-term diet, you will cause indigestion and malnutrition. Bread doesn’t contain proteins and doesn’t have any nutritional values for turtles.

As a result, they will not get enough energy from it. Additionally, malnutrition will lead to a lack of calcium and vitamin D. Calcium and Vitamin D are important for your turtle’s carapace.

Calcium helps build and maintain the carapace, while vitamin D allows the effective absorption of calcium. If your turtle doesn’t receive enough calcium from its food, it will eventually develop Metabolic bone disease.

This disease will make the carapace lose its strength and might eventually lead to death if not treated in time.

Summary

In a nutshell, you should avoid feeding wild or pet turtles with any type of bread. Since they haven’t adapted to eating sugars, flour, or yeast, they will not receive any nutrition.

A long-term diet of bread will cause malnutrition that might lead to more serious conditions. Additionally, indigestion will make your turtle bloat and feel uncomfortable.

Even though your turtle might seem like it’s enjoying breadcrumbs or crackers, don’t let it trick you. Turtles are opportunistic feeders that would put anything in their mouth just because they don’t know when the next feast will be.

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Many factors, for instance, the water temperature and the diet have an impact on your turtle’s growth. However, do turtles grow according to the tank size?

The size of your turtle tank does not directly affect the growth of your pet. Nevertheless, the lack of swimming space and the excessive amount of waste in a small tank can cause stress to your turtle. That will affect other factors that could lead to health problems and stunted growth.

How exactly does tank size influence the growth of your turtle, anyway? What other factors do you need to consider if you want your pet to grow fast? Read this article to find out!

It Is Not True That Turtles Grow According To Tank Size

The answer to this question is not as simple as it seems. The truth is that a combination of many factors can have an influence on your pet’s growth. One of them can be the size of their habitat.

Turtles have a high growth rate before maturity. Under the right conditions, most species grow rapidly in the first five years of their development.

A turtle may continue growing despite a small turtle tank or habitat. However, that’s highly unlikely because tank size usually affects other factors which influence the pet’s growth, such as swimming space, stress, and health.

Additionally, your choice of turtle species is important. Although cute baby turtles are often born the same size, some species grow up to 12 inches while others stay smaller than 5 inches.

Therefore, each turtle needs the best care, depending on its species. If you provide the same tank size and amount of food to a Red-Eared-Slider (12 inches) and a Common Musk turtle (4.5 inches), your slider probably won’t be able to reach its full size. Yes, you will save some money on the food and the turtle tank.

However, you will negatively affect your pet’s health. Providing a large, diverse habitat to your turtle, on the other hand, will keep it fit and happy.

Who created the myth that turtles grow according to tank size?

Unethical pet sellers want to convince you to buy a pet at any cost, even though you can’t afford to take care of it. Hearing that a turtle will grow only as much as its habitat allows, makes you take an easy decision – you can get a pet and spend less.

Some pet sellers also keep a lot of turtles in a small enclosure for the same reason – to save money. They make their clients believe that wild turtles live comfortably in packs.

However, aquatic turtles are solitary animals and keeping them in a tiny space might lead to fights for territory.

What will happen if a turtle lives in a small tank long-term?

Small tank means more waste

Small tanks accumulate waste quickly. Even with proper filtration and circulation of the water, toxic ammonia and nitrites will pollute your pet’s habitat.

When ammonia has reached toxic levels in the tank, aquatic animals like fish and turtles can’t extract energy from their food efficiently. As a result, their growth rate can decrease. A too high concentration of ammonia might even become lethal for your pet.

Stress and less room for swimming

If you chose a too-small tank for your pet turtle, you would reduce its swimming space. Since aquatic turtles usually live in oceans, they require a lot of room for swimming to grow happy and healthy.

Additionally, a small tank limits the opportunity for introducing stones, aquatic plants, and fish into your turtle’s tank to make your pet’s habitat more natural.

Poor environmental conditions and lack of space could lead to chronic stress for your turtle. Just like all other animals, turtles become less active and try to hide while they are stressed.

Stress weakens the immune system. That doesn’t only make your turtle more susceptible to infection but will also slow down its metabolism and growth.

Fight for territory

If you are looking after several turtles in the same tank, providing a small enclosure is a really bad idea! The lack of room will cause competition over food and basking area.

Since turtles already have an aggressive nature, the stress in a cramped habitat space will make them even more violent against each other.

Fighting and territorialism might cause injuries that will make your pets more susceptible to diseases. If the turtle’s health is threatened, their growth will slow down.

Is it possible that a turtle would become bigger if it had a huge habitat?

A huge tank alone will not change the growth rate of your turtle. What your pet needs is a balanced lifestyle to develop to its full potential.

One step to that is creating a large and diverse habitat. That will prevent stress, fights for territory, and diseases. As a result, your turtle will reach its expected size at a normal pace.

What affects your turtle’s growth?

There are two important factors that have an influence on your turtle’s growth that you have no control over:

1. Genetics: The average full-grown adult size of aquatic turtles depends on the species because they have different genetic traits. For instance, the red-eared slider can grow up to 12 inches (30,5 cm). The common musk turtle, on the other hand, is only 4,5 inches (11,5 cm) long.
2. Gender of the turtle: Depending on the species, size may vary between males and females. Female red-eared sliders, for example, grow larger than males and reach up to 10-13 inches (25-33 cm). Males are between 8-10 inches (20-25 cm).

However, there are a few details that you can take care of, if you want your turtle to grow steadily and be healthy.

Right temperature of the water and the basking area

Turtles are ectothermic. That means that they acquire heat from the environment to maintain their body temperature.

You can regulate the temperature better in a larger tank since there will be enough space for swimming and a basking area. Setting up a basking area will help the turtle grow faster.

Drying off and UV-rays exposure will speed up their digestion and will prevent infections that might slow down growth.

Usually, the water temperature should be close to the air temperature, so between 75-85°F (23.9-29.4°C). The basking area, on the other hand, should be warmer so the turtle can dry. We recommend a range from 85-95°F (23.9-35°C).

Diet

Make a feeding schedule with a list of foods that will prove beneficial for your pet. Younger turtles enjoy a high protein diet. As your pet gets older, you can add more fruits and vegetables to its meal plan.

If there is enough nutrition in the food, your turtle will receive the required amount of Calcium and Vitamin D. That will keep its growth stable and make its carapace strong. In a small tank, food will not be evenly distributed. Leftover food will create a lot of waste.

Keeping track of the turtle’s size

If you get a baby pet turtle, you will be able to follow its growth. Record your turtle’s measurements over a few weeks.

Turtles that are looked after correctly should grow rapidly, and consistently until they reach maturity. Afterwards, their growth will slow down.

Our tip: If you want your pet to be happy, choose a tank size for a fully-grown turtle. Buying a tank based on the size of a baby turtle will only make your life hard – you will have to upgrade constantly as your pet grows.

If you want to find out how to calculate the perfect tank size for your turtle, keep on reading this article!

How to determine the right tank size?

As we already mentioned, every turtle species has a different average size. However, each one of them needs enough space to swim, explore and bask. To find the right tank size, you can use the rule of thumb.

A turtle needs 10 gallons (45 litres) of water per inch (2,5 cm) of carapace length. It’s a good idea to inform yourself about the size of the turtle species in a fully grown stage. In the table below, you can see an overview of the general size guidelines.

Summary

The tank size doesn’t directly affect your turtle’s growth. However, a small enclosure might lead to more waste in the tank and inefficient extraction of energy from food.

If you have more than one turtle, the lack of room might cause stress, violence and competition for space and food.

To make sure your turtle grows healthy, you need to choose the right temperature in its habitat and create a healthy food plan. Additionally, you can research the average adult size of your turtle’s species and choose the right size of enclosure for it.

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